PACS should take benefits of new Farm Bills: Nabard Chairman

Speaking at a NAFSCOB function in Mumbai on Tuesday, Nabard Chairman Dr Govinda Chintala stressed on cooperatives reinventing themselves to take on the private sector. Commercial companies are ahead of co-ops because they use advanced technologies as well as the most appropriate tools to reach out to the people. As they employ the best business models, there is a need for cooperatives to re-invent themselves”, Chintala said.

Chintala was speaking at a national seminar organized by Nafscob on ‘Recent Trends in Agriculture Credit Cooperatives and Banking’. Nabard Chairman Dr Govinda Chintala was the keynote speaker. Kribhco Chairman Dr Chandra Pal Singh Yadav was the chief guest.

The other guests included Biscomaun Chairman Sunil Kumar Singh, NCUI Vice-President K Sivadasan Nair, NCUI CE N Satyanarayana, Andaman & Nicobar State Cooperative Bank Chairman Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Chairman & CEOs of different State Co-operative Banks, District Central Co-operative Banks, PACCs representatives and many others.

“Co-ops have to develop new business plans for surviving in future and Nabard is giving a business development initiative cell to every state cooperative bank. If PACCs get computerized then co-ops can be used for disbursing  DBT”, Chintala added.

Diagnosing the ills that plague co-ops, Chintala felt they have failed partly due to poor governance. PACCs are the final delivering point which is to be strengthened. There are over 96k PACCs in the country and out of these 50k PACCs are not in a good position but 35k PACCs are doing a wonderful job in our country.

“Now, the time has come to focus on 35k first and they should be converted into multi service society co-ops. PACCs can take the benefit of New Farm Bills because the market has been opened for farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country”, Nabard Chairman said.

On the occasion, the Nabard Chairman announced that ”we have decided to give Rs 5 crore as grant to each State Cooperative Bank for computerization. With this Rs 5 cr you can do computerization of 200-300 PACCs, he added.

In his inaugural address, Kribhco Chairman Chandra Pal Singh Yadav praised the efforts of co-ops for playing an important role during the lockdown imposed due to Covid-19. ” Neither state govts nor the central government are giving priority to coops, it is a matter of concern. After assuming office in states political parties give priority to amending the co-op act for their own interests”.

Focusing on FPOs he said these should be registered under a cooperative act. This work should be given to PACCs. And I have seen in several cases FPOs are being made into family groups for taking the advantage and the main objective of FPOs stands defeated.

“We have to work to increase the membership base of the society and link more and more youth and women with the cooperative movement. Besides, the 97th Constitutional Amendment Act should be implemented in all the states”, Yadav concluded.

Biscomaun Chairman Sunil Kumar Singh, who presided over the seminar said, “Doubling the income of farmers is only possible through cooperatives. As we have seen in the past the Green Revolution and White Revolution were made by co-ops and I am sure the Blue Revolution too will be carried out through co-ops only.

NCUI CE N Satyanarayana said, Co-ops in India are reorganizing and reinventing themselves to serve mankind in this hour of crisis. PACCs should come forward to take the benefit of the Agri-Infra Funds to augment storage and processing for value addition facilities for agricultural produce at the farm gates.

In his remark, Nafscob MD Bhima Subrahmanyam stressed on the activities of his organization and said due to Covid-19 cooperatives in many countries are experiencing financial and social difficulties.

Bijender Singh and Dileep Sanghani were conspicuous by their absence.